If 71 percent of the Earth is covered by water, then Ali Newland has the rest.
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The LSU softball left fielder consistently makes sure nothing drops in front of her or flies over her head. She's quick, she can leap and she's been killing opposing hitters' batting averages this season in Baton Rouge.
As McNeese State's Jil Poullard found out on Tuesday, Newland might be one of the best defenders in the SEC.
LSU's Ali Newland Robs Home Run
🚨 HOME RUN ROBBERY ALERT 🚨
Courtesy of @ali44newland #SCTop10
📺 https://t.co/HIO000GhAQ pic.twitter.com/eXd6UsCUMo
— LSU Softball (@LSUsoftball) April 19, 2022
LSU was already leading 2-0 against in-state opponent McNeese State in the bottom of the first inning. With a runner on second, the Cowgirls had a chance to tie the game up when Jil Poullard sent a deep fly ball into left field.
Newland read it like the first (and only the first) Harry Potter book. She raced to the fence and used every bit of her 5-foot-4 frame to leap up and rob her of a home run.
It was electric. It was show-stopping. The broadcasters had to pick their jaws up off the floor. Let's not forget the part where she had the presence to fire the ball to second and nearly get the double play.
LSU carried the momentum this play to a 7-1 win, improving to 28-16.
As for Newland, this play landed her the No. 2 spot on ESPN SportsCenter's Top 10 Plays. The funny thing is that Ali has now made SportsCenter in back-to-back months. In March, she made a diving play and doubled off the runner at second. The next game that day, she cranked a home run off the scoreboard.
oh hey @SportsCenter pic.twitter.com/oUtd1NFWJX
— ali newland (@ali44newland) March 7, 2022
Ali Newland might need to reach out to a lawyer to get her some money if she's going to be providing ESPN with all this content. Now that NIL deals are all the rage, I think it's only fair. The question is: what will Ali Newland do next?
